The Interview
TUESDAY
Sitting at her kitchen table, Kara glances over the list of interview questions that Nia created. A few of the questions ask about the newest technology that LuthorCorp is developing while others ask Lena about her personal life. Twirling the pen between her fingers, Kara nervously sips her coffee. This interview could make or break her journalism career. Kara finishes her coffee before leaving her apartment. Walking towards CatCo, Kara’s heart beats so hard against her chest that she thinks it’ll break through. Fortunately, it doesn’t. Kara steps into the lobby, pressing the elevator button. On a normal day, she would take the stairs to ensure she remains in shape, but she’s burning enough calories with her anxiety.
Ding! The elevator doors open and Kara steps on. As the doors begin to close, Kara hears hurrying footsteps. She’s already holding her arm to stop the elevator as Nia calls out.
“Hold it please!” Kara watches as Nia practically collapses into the elevator, holding a tray filled with several cups of coffee. Panting heavily, Nia nods her thanks to Kara, who lets the doors slide shut.
“You okay, Nia?” Kara asks.
“Oh. Yea, I’m fine. Cat’s just got me busy plus helping…” Her voice lowers. “…helping Supergirl is catching up to me. Sometimes the dreams keep me from getting a good rest.”
“If you need a break, I’m sure the Super Friends will be okay without Dreamer for a bit.” Nia shakes her head.
“No, no. I’m good. Just learning to balance it all.” Kara nods as the elevator doors open to the bustling floor of CatCo. With a quick wave, Nia takes off towards Cat’s office to drop off her coffee. Kara walks to her desk and slumps into it, the pressure of the interview weighing on her shoulders. A few moments pass before Kara’s phone vibrates in her pocket. Pulling it out, Kara looks at the screen. A bright blue bar appears across the top of her phone screen. Interview w/ Lena Luthor, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. In less than four hours, Kara will be face-to-face with Lena Luthor, CEO of one of the biggest tech companies in National City. And her crush. Blowing out her breath, Kara opens her notebook to the list of interview questions she has. The next three hours pass by achingly slowly for Kara. Finally, her phone buzzes once again, reminding her of the interview at LuthorCorp.
Kara stands in front of LuthorCorp, the large building towering over the city sidewalk. She pulls open the door, stepping into the lobby. In front of Kara, there is a long reception desk along the wall, with three women sitting behind it. One of them, a shorter, blonde woman looks up as Kara enters.
“Hello, welcome to LuthorCorp. How can I help you today?” The woman smiles brightly, her eyes never leaving Kara’s as she approaches.
“Hi there. Ahem, uh, Kara Danvers from CatCo Media for Lena Luthor.” The woman smiles again, before looking down at her computer. Punching in something on the keyboard, she nods.
“Perfect. I have you checked in.” She pulls a badge from a cabinet under her desk. “Please wear this and have a seat over there. Someone will be down shortly.” Kara nods, taking the badge and slipping it over her neck before walking over to the seating area the woman pointed to. Kara didn’t have to wait too long.
“Ms. Danvers?” Eve Teschmacher stands near the reception desk, waiting for Kara. “Right this way, Ms. Luthor is waiting.” Kara nods, following Eve towards the elevator. Kara smiles awkwardly at Eve during the elevator ride to the 22nd floor. Since the fire only happened a few days ago, the floors above were still blocked off, and unable to be used. Eve leads Kara onto the floor, twisting through several hallways before reaching the edge of the floor. Eve knocks on the door.
“Come in!” Lena calls out. Eve opens it, gesturing for Kara to step through. Nodding her thanks, Kara steps into the rather large office space. Since it’s a corner office, there are floor-to-ceiling windows on two of the four walls, illuminating the space. Tucked near the back, but still in the center of the room, is Lena Luthor sitting at a large, mahogany desk. When Kara enters, Lena looks up, her green eyes glowing with excitement. Her raven-black hair is curled loosely around her face, framing it like a portrait. Lena stands, her heels clicking against the floor as she comes over to greet Kara.
“Ms. Danvers. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lena takes Kara’s hand, squeezing it softly. A sharp spark flows through Kara at the touch. Startled, Kara jumps a little. “Oh, are you all right?” A look of concern crosses over Lena’s face.
“Y-yes. S-sorry.” Kara clears her throat. “Ms. Luthor, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for agreeing to sit down for this interview.” Kara realizes that she’s still holding Lena’s hand. She removes it quickly, too quickly because Lena’s eyebrows raise.
“Please come sit. Is there anything I can get for you, Ms. Danvers? Tea, coffee, something stronger, perhaps?” Lena laughs gently, sitting on the black leather couch about ten feet from her desk. It’s like music to Kara’s ears, her heart soaring.
“Please, Ms. Luthor. Call me Kara. And no, I’m okay, thank you.”
“In that case, you may call me Lena.” Kara blushes as Lena’s emerald eyes meet hers. Swallowing hard, Kara busies herself by pulling out the voice recorder she brought. She sets it on the table without clicking record yet. Kara then pulls out her notebook and a pen. The entire time, Lena’s eyes never left Kara, watching her intently.
“Are you ready to begin, Ms. – Ah, sorry, Lena?” Kara asks. She hopes her voice is steady because her nerves are frazzled. Not only is Lena practically the queen of the tech empire in National City, but she’s also much more beautiful than Kara could imagine up close. Lena leans forward in her seat. Kara can smell her perfume mixing with what could only be Lena’s scent.
“I believe so, Kara.” Nodding, Kara clicks the record button on the voice recorder.
“Okay, Lena. Let’s begin. Are you able to discuss any of the new technology that LuthorCorp is inventing?”
“Actually, yes. Let me show you the most recent device we’ve been working on.” Lena stands, walking to her desk. There’s a small black safe sitting on it, next to her laptop. Lena keys in a code on the door of the safe and it opens with a click. Reaching inside, Lena pulls out a palm-sized, peanut-shaped device. Lena walks back to Kara but instead of sitting on the opposite side of the couch like she was, Lena sits next to Kara. So close that Kara can hear Lena’s heart beating. If Kara moved her leg an inch, their knees would brush against each other.
“It’s an alien detection device that allows humans to find out who among them is not truly one of them. It’s not market-ready yet.” Kara draws her attention from Lena’s closeness to listen. “I mean, we’re still developing the prototype. But we aim to have this device in every store, in every town across America.”
“How does it work?”
“It’s just a simple skin test.” Lena pauses, smiling at Kara. “Okay, let me show you what a negative response looks like.” She presses her thumb to the fingerprint pad. The device beeps once before turning green. “See. Right? Now, you try.” Lena holds the device out to Kara. Her face growing hot, Kara fumbles for a response that would negate her from testing it right away.
“But won’t a device like this…Doesn’t it go against everything America is supposed to stand for?” Kara watches as Lena leans backward, setting the device down. Kara internally heaves a sigh of relief.
“Such as?”
“Well, freedom…” Kara chuckles awkwardly. “…against persecution, oppression. America’s always been a country full of immigrants.”
“It’s also always been a country full of humans,” Lena replies matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. Again, Kara awkwardly chuckles, the conversation not going in a positive direction.
“Don’t you think this device will force aliens back into the very shadows the President is trying to shine a light on?”
“If aliens want to be citizens, that’s now their right. But if humans wanna know which of their fellow citizens aren’t actually one of them, then that’s their right too.” Kara looks off to the side of the office as Lena continues. “I’m a businesswoman. L-Corp is in the business of making money and this device is going to make us a fortune. Unlike my brother, I’m going to do it for the good of the world.” As Lena adjusts herself, her eyes leaving the device, Kara quickly pulls her glasses down, using her heat vision to fry it. She quickly adjusts them again as Lena grabs the device again, holding it for Kara to test.
“Right.” Kara takes a breath, stepping forward towards Lena’s outstretched hand. Placing her thumb against the pad, Kara’s heart thumps wildly, hoping the light turns green. It seems to take forever, but eventually, the device beeps once and turns green.
“See, works perfectly.” Lena smiles at Kara brightly.
“Maybe we should move on then?” Kara asks, shifting in her spot on the couch. The leather makes a low groan as she adjusts her weight. Lena nods, setting the device back onto the table in front of them.
“Of course, what’s the next question, Kara?” The way Kara’s name falls out of Lena’s mouth so effortlessly creates a turmoil of emotion in Kara’s stomach. Butterflies. Alex told Kara about the butterflies but didn’t warn her about the fluttery, sick feeling that they bring.
“Well, I am hoping to get a little more personal, if that’s all right with you?” Kara pauses, waiting for Lena’s response. When Lena nods, Kara continues. “At what point might you feel you’ve met true success?” Lena takes a moment before answering.
“When I grew up in my brother’s shadow, everyone assumed I would be another Lex in the world. I moved to National City to step out from his shadow. To move forward for me.” Lena crosses her legs now, the soft silk of her dress pants brushing against Kara’s bare shin. “I think I’ll feel I’ve met true success when the world stops making assumptions based on my last name. I’m doing good in the world. Planning to continue to do so. Unlike Lex or my mother has.” Kara nods.
“Seems like your family’s history motivates you.”
“You could say that.” Lena smiles. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything to drink?”
“Sure, I’ll take some water, thank you.” Lena removes herself from the couch once again, peeking her head outside the door. Kara takes a moment to glance at her notes to avoid staring at Lena’s lithe form.
“Eve, would you be so kind to bring us some water? And please clear the rest of my day.” Lena closes the door after Eve politely confirms. Kara feels rather than sees Lena return to the couch, sitting impossibly close to Kara again, their thighs touching this time. Even with the silk from Lena’s pants, Kara can feel the heat of Lena’s skin against her own. The contact brings a burning pool of heat and desire to Kara’s core. She swallows audibly, her voice caught in her throat. When Eve sets down the water, Kara chugs about half her glass before breathing again.
“Let’s move on. If we could, I would like to get even more personal with you, Lena.” A slight nod from Lena and Kara resumes. “While we have seen a few partners in the past, no one knows if there is anyone special in your life right now. Would you care to comment?” Kara’s mouth goes dry during the question, but she resists the urge to grab the water again. Lena reaches over to the voice recorder and clicks pause before leaning closer to Kara. She could feel Lena’s breath on her ear.
“If you wanted to know if I have a girlfriend, Kara, all you had to do was ask.” Kara blushes, unable to form a coherent sentence as Lena presses play once more on the recorder.
“At the moment, I am single. Not committed to anyone. Yet.” An involuntary shiver runs down Kara’s spine as Lena says the last word looking directly at her.
“Right, right. Uhm, well. I do have an anonymous source who can attest otherwise. Specifically, the woman who survived the fire ordeal with you and Eve on Sunday?” Kara’s heart pounds, her palms sweaty, as she waits for Lena’s reply.
“Anonymous source?” Lena smirks. “Well, that was Andrea Rojas. She is nothing but a friend. We’ve known each other since college. Almost like sisters.” Kara’s entire body falters visibly with relief.
“Understood. Before we finish the interview, Lena. Is there anything you would like to say?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind.” Kara gestures for Lena to continue. “LuthorCorp, as a reflection of the lack of women in the tech industry, will be opening an internship for young women to help advance their careers. The details will be posted later this week.”
“Impressive. I think that’s all we have time for. Thank you, Lena, for joining me.” Kara reaches over, clicking off the voice recorder. “Honestly, thank you for doing this interview Lena. I know you typically don’t share much with the media.”
“It was my pleasure, Kara.” Lena’s gaze is focused on Kara, her eyes smoldering. Kara, unable to look away, bites her lip. Lena’s eyes flick to the movement. Before she can look away, Lena’s lips are against hers, tentatively. It’s brief. Maybe Kara imagined it. She reaches up, touching her lips with her fingers. Lena gives her a small smile before taking her hand away and kissing her again.
Lena is kissing Kara. Lena fucking Luthor is kissing Kara.